Here’s why ‘Westworld’ season 3 is the most boring show on TV
Who actually watched the entire second season of HBO’s Westworld?
After an amazing first season that warped the minds of literally every person and robot who experienced it, the second season was more like a robot taking a nosedive off of a very steep cliff; it was still processing everything, but we all knew it was inevitably going to end in a mess. There were too many timelines, too many side characters, too many robots inside other robots designed to look like people who used to be people.
It was a slow, maddening mess.
The worst part was that it kicked off at the most exciting moment; right after the robot hosts decided to go on a murder spree for the rich guests in the park. The original 1973 film (starring Yul Brenner as the man in black) began at the same moment, but while the film embraced the murderous rampage, the show decided to gloss over it and waste multiple scenes of Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) confused and contemplating mortality.
The movie was more effective, because there is truly nothing more terrifying than Yul Brenner on a horse coming straight for you.
We just want the robots to kill people
It’s not hard. All we are expecting on this show is violent delights with violent endings. We want those robots to go ham on human civilization and murder all of the obscenely wealthy tourists.
Instead, we had the third season premiere, “Parce Domine.”
This is a bad sign already. We do not need episode titles referencing Gregorian chants. We need Yul Brenner on a horse, shooting down capitalist scum.
The third season premiere was more entertaining than the prior season, but that’s not a high bar to clear (especially for a robot.) Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) has broadened the playing field with her entree into human society. Within the first 10 minutes, she has psychologically and physically tortured a billionaire to secure funding for her mission. This is perfect, fitting, for a show about murderous robots.
We seriously just want the robots to kill people
This show is strongest when it focuses exclusively on what the robots want: they want revenge, they want their family, they want to murder every rich a-hole whoever used the park to play out their rapist/murder fantasies on the hosts. It is clear and concise whenever the show follows Dolores or Maeve (Thandie Newton).
Westworld is a tragic mess whenever it focuses on broader themes.
The constant references to Shakespeare seem telling: his work was strongest when there was a clear trajectory for each character. Nobody was looking at Hamlet and suggesting more time should have been spent to flesh out the motivation for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Like, how hard is it for robots to kill people?
The premiere gave us a taste of what the second season denied us, but it still seems dedicated to drawn-out exposition and world building in a world that was already perfectly depicted in its first season.
The introduction to new characters also feels like more of the same: Caleb Nichols (Aaron Paul) feels like another Teddy (James Marsden) who will be entranced by Dolores and her mission, willing to give up everything to support her.
We’re not clamoring for something new, we just want something good.
That’s why we’re not holding much hope out for this new season. By the third season, a show should establish whose story it is following and who is supporting in that quest. There are still too many side plots and mysteries and time jumps to make for a cohesive story.
Westworld was a tour de force in its first season, focused almost exclusively on the maze for the hosts and the man in black’s (Ed Harris) obsessive quest to take control of that journey for himself. Then the show got renewed and everything got sloppy.
We’re holding out hope the third season will focus on tighter storytelling, but we’re not optimistic. Like the robot hosts, we’ve been disappointed by people before.
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Lisa Jayne
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OMG I couldn’t agree more. I have started watching this at least four times and can’t get through the first half hour. Bored out of my freaking mind. I just want to see robots kill people.
March 23, 2020Smiles
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I think this review missed the point of the show. the show wasnt about “Yul Brenner on a horse, shooting down capitalist scum”, the people who died in last episode was Delos board members or employees working on Westworld Project. they were the ones that ruled her world. She basically killed her captors, rulers, the ones that profited from her. She didn’t want to play their games anymore, she wants to rule our world. Westworld was about rulers and captors that stuck there, Philosophy of freedom and free thinking.
was first episodes of season 3 good?
March 29, 2020no. however not because there isn’t enough killing. but there isn’t enough morality, philosophy, creativity or depth as season one and two had
Jason
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You should be the one writing reviews
June 6, 2020e
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funny when tards think dElOrIs is really awake, when she is not, she follows Wyatt narrative, unlike Maeve who has really awoken before her, who really trying to liberate hosts and not to kill or use them like dEloRes
March 30, 2020Michael
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Agreed. Watched the first three episodes of season three and it is just not holding my attention.
April 11, 2020Wolf
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The third season is….so far,akin to attending a Grateful Dead concert…”I guess I’m supposed to appreciate this…Why don’t I?” …
April 13, 2020xXLIGMABALLS69Xx
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the first season touch on some pretty deep topics on free will, creating and understanding consciousness, so its understandable if the slow burn style turn off some people. For some, this show can easily fly over your head with the 1st season alone, I cant attest for the rest of the seasons so far. But from what i can tell, season 2 and 3 hold absolutely no weight to season 1. The writing has taken a seat back for more of this I Robot ultra sequel, theres no soul, no discovery to witness from the characters, nor character development- something people like to invest in. What really doesnt make sense to me is casting in Aaron Paul and NOT utilizing his full potential instead of making shitty montages( I love montages when they’re done right.)
And when the rest of the Normies finally put the pieces together; realizing the budget and guest appearances are the only thing keeping this show afloat Let this be known to all you dummies- season 1 of westworld is really all you need to watch.
April 13, 2020Zayyad
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I don’t think Maeve was truly trying to liberate the hosts, she was self centered and all she cared about was her daughter. All those around her went down for it. As for Delores no matter the methods she seemed to used really wanted a place for all the hosts, and has done so to protect them including maeves daughter
April 16, 2020john
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I also enjoyed first season but dragging on n on.. I stopped watching
April 16, 2020Wwsux
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I’m bored out of my mind and the writers haven’t made me care about any of the characters. I hope they all die and put this terrible show out of its misery.
April 20, 2020Jon B
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Season 3 just gets worse the further into it we get. Good lord has the show taken a nose dive.
April 25, 2020Artur
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Molly, you’re so fucking wise.
April 25, 2020Artur
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To clarify I mean this genuinely. The new season is horrific
April 25, 2020Alexander
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There comes a point where cinematography breaks the norms in complexity and depth.
Some people will understand the series and keep up, others will get bored or get lost as they expect cheap thrills.
It is surprising they prefer the more intelligent audience opposed to the general public, and how they stick to their agenda.
General public are the viewers, but this is like feeding truffles to the pigs.
They know it is tasty deep down, but they will not appreciate what they do not understand.
Such is the way of the world.
May 8, 2020Nkoe
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well i do not agree with the reviewers SHOOT THEM UP policy, however i feel season3 is just boring, even the dialogue is so uninteresting, the AI feels too over powered, and unbelievable. honestly this is so heartbreaking this show at its best held its own as one of the best.
May 17, 2020yalcin
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Contrary to your comment I did like the second season and was hoping for a Grand 3rd Season wondering what could the writers had in their mind after all that complex web left in the first and second seasons… My belief was that Nolan had a final plan from the very beginning for such multi-layered characters…. But sadly he had not! He was as lost as Bernard was.
June 10, 2020One of the main attractive side of WW was the constant presence of Ford… He is the mastermind, the architect of the AI and robot revolution. There was a permanent ambiguity, vagueness about who was who, when this actually happened. The great quartet Dolores, Ford, The Man in Black and Bernard. Why Nolan did not pursue his own creations and preferred to ‘develop’ his structure with a not very convincing French vilain Serac and the unnecessary “good” guy and universal savior Caleb (why Aaron Paul had to use this bass and deep voice tone all along the 8 episodes is a big question mark).
I’ve watched the 8 episodes but I do remember that I was looking to my mobile (or was it dolores who was controlling…no, that it can’t be!
This makes me thing about the 4th chapter of Matrix!
Giuliano
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This show is so boring. Stop watched after 3rd episode of 3rd season. The 2nd season was boring but I’ve finished it and gave a more try to the serie. Now it’s enough. Never gonna show an episode of that boring mess that Westworld show is.
August 16, 2020Herb Jerb
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Although I did wait the whole season for Aaron Paul to go full Todd.
October 8, 2020“Well, that was slightly better than the worst it could have been so… hooray?”
Rob
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Got 1/3 into S3E1 and quit.
S1 was good.
S2 was weird and hard to watch, but I did.
S3 was following the path of S2, so I’ll stop here.
I liked the 1973 version, but this is like taking a good short-story and forcing it into a long “War And Peace” type novel.
November 6, 2020It just doesn’t work for me.
I didn’t realize JJ Abrams was part of this series.
I think he destroyed Star Trek in 2009.
Alice
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What I am already hating at the first ep of S3 is that Maeve will fight against Dolores.
May 28, 2021And I find this just ridiculous.
It’s the same soup of every series: protagonists getting against each other.
Why?
Why did Dolores have to resuscitate Bernard?
Why does Maeve fight against Dolores if she hates humans too?
Why can’t we see a glorious, unapologetic, amoral epic show of REVENGE, of Hosts teaming together, plus the AI, and destroying humanity?
I want to see them destroying everything, no regrets, no but. Unconditional victory. No prisoners. No mercy.